London: A 38-year-old-man has had his vision restored with stem cells after being blinded in an ammonia attack.

Russell Turnbull, 38, lost the sight in one eye in 1994 when he was squirted with ammonia after trying to stop a row on a bus in Newcastle.

He was left with Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD), a painful condition which requires constant treatment.

The new treatment was developed by scientists at Newcastle University.Their method involves taking a small amount of stem cells from a patient’s good eye, cultivating them in a laboratory, and implanting them into the damaged cornea.

He was was treated at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) and is one of of eight patients who successfully underwent the treatment developed at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI).

It is hoped that the technique could eventually be rolled out into clinics.